The sleep has barely left the eyes from the night before as millions of people across this great nation join the made rush of bargains galore. Some of our extended family didn't even go to sleep last night, but chose rather to go the the local Walmart at midnight to be sure to capture the best deals as they came available. Others of us chose rather to sleep just a little, and then head of in the mad dash for savings! At our house, we took a much more leisurely approach and still found plenty of savings.
While at the local Walmart, I found one of our church members (who is an employee) working hard at opening boxes to give the eager shoppers something to put in their baskets. I asked what time he arrived at work, and with sleepy eyes he said, 4:00 a.m.
Across America this annual pilgrimage has started, and the folks at Madison Avenue in New York have worked hard to market their plethora of products with commercials that range between zany and absurd.
Wall Street also hopes that the sales will be brisk as their "bottom-line" will determine many of their futures. Early analysts predicted that this would be a tough "Black Friday" (named for the time retailers ink on the statements will be black instead of red) and predicted that inventories may be low to, which could lead to a shortage of some "hot" items along with frayed nerves of the consumer.
Everyone is hoping for a big day for the retailers, and at a time when the economy is struggling, I suppose the sales of this weekend with reach far across the nation. However, there is hope.
The hope I'm speaking of is not that of the Fortune 500 companies, of the government or even the mom and pop stores of our nation. The hope I speak of is one that springs eternal from the heart of the believer, the child of God,, who knows that Jesus Christ is in control of our eternal destinies... a hope not filtered by slick marketers, or of prognosticators bent on shaping public opinion....but the hope that passes all understanding, that abides deep in the heart of His children.
As the "day" of Thanksgiving is behind us, now we must look forward, to the real hope that came to us wrapped in a manger, because there was no room in the inn, and the hope that has arisen from a tomb in a far flung nation far from middle Tennessee.
Whatever the financial outcome of the weekend, we rest in His promises, which by faith are a settled fact. May God bless you.
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